LIC Notes
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LICNotes Events:
J Walter Hawkes residency at LIC Bar featuring JWH Trio and special guests The Jacob Varmus Group!
Catch Steve Blanco Trio Tues and Fri nights at Domaine Wine Bar!
Catch Steve Blanco Trio Tues and Fri nights at Domaine Wine Bar!
The Hand Band at 8pm, Dave Diamond at 9pm, Jason Crosby at 10pm live at LIC Bar!
Liz Nieves is an Astoria-based photographer and music enthusiast. She recently launched a photoblog of her work called glitter unicorn and shared some of her fantastic local music photos (and the stories behind them) with LICNotes!
Where are you based in Queens? If you're not from here, where are you from and when did you come to the neighborhood?
I have lived in Astoria for ten years. I grew up all over NY (Bronx, Long Island and upstate near Ithaca).
What is your involvement/investment in local music?
I spent some time volunteering for Astoria Music and Arts this year and sometimes I curate art/music shows.
How would you characterize the scene you photograph?
Colorful, unpretentious, and unformed.
Can you tell us about some of the bands/musicians you've taken pictures of?
It's a very random group of people and the thing that seems to tie them together is a passion for their music.
Can you tell us about some of the best shows you've seen in the neighborhood?
This is really hard. I have seen Little Creatures pack out the Quays while everyone sang along, or Illimanjaro play a house party that had everyone dancing for hours. Bad Buka is amazing... I can't wait for their CD to come out. Hearing Bernadette sing with Mainline Gypsy gives me goosebumps everytime, or hearing Freedomhead rock out is like watching another reincarnation of rock and roll. James Call's songs have a way of becoming catch phrases you can't stop singing – I could go on and on. But bands that I would go see? All that I have named so far plus: The Jamies, Rattrap Bumpkin, Hops, Mathew Snow, Shaeffer and the Darklords, Silbin Sandoval, Thunderbang! (I'm sure I'm missing someone)
What are your favorite places to see shows in Astoria/LIC?
The Quays for true grit. The Astoria Brewhouse and LIC Bar are close behind.
What inspires you – in terms of photography, and in general?
Inclement weather and I try to capture fleeting moments of unique personalities to reveal underlying truths (or so I have been told).
What local photo exhibitions have you been a part of, and are there more in the works?
I will be having my first solo exhibit in January – I have displayed one piece for a fundraiser hosted by Stomp and Howl last year.
Can you tell us more about Astoria's Hell Gate Social and its place in the scene for music and photography alike?
Hell Gate (George Rallis) has done alot to contribute to the local art and music scene. It's the closest thing to an art gallery in Astoria and the variety of art that has been exhibited so far is quite amazing. No matter what the musicians think of the sound at Hell Gate, at some point every band and DJ that lives locally has performed there. The bar has been extremely supportive to every aspect of the arts in Astoria.
When it comes to music in Queens, we've all heard the detractors, the doubters, the unfortunately misinformed... Why is the Astoria/LIC music scene YOUR home and why is this the place you spend time and take pictures?
I am a third generation New Yorker who really loves my neighborhood. The common artistic thread that runs through LIC/Astoria makes it very easy to be social and have something to do or even have something going on. Every project that I have been a part of has only been met with support. For those that live here and have not experienced that because they only feel validated by what is going on in Manhattan or any currently hip neighborhood, you are missing out.
Thanks to Liz for sharing her work with us – check out her photoblog for music photography and much more!
Audrey Dimola is a born and raised Astoria/Long Island City gal. Best known around town for her work as Managing Editor of LIC-based arts/music/culture magazine, Ins&Outs, Audrey is now Project Manager of Dom & Tom, Inc., a NYC web and mobile development studio.
Summer is over, and way too fast!
Here's some Summer memories from Astoria Music & Arts' 3rd annual Astoria Music Now! festival in Astoria Park, shot by Audrey Dimola.
FEATURING:
Hops & Drew P
The Jamies
Illimanjaro
DJ 2melo & Cumba Mela
Mainline Gypsy
Mathew Snow & The Way It Was
Lancaster County Prison
KRAUT
Videos coming soon!
Check out our full set of hi-res photos on Flickr!
